Chicago Blackhawks CEO shares advice at Rockford tech expo

Tuesday

Nov 5, 2013 at 3:35 PMNov 5, 2013 at 3:35 PM

By Alex GaryRockford Register Star

ROCKFORD — Chicago Blackhawks President and CEO John McDonough admitted Tuesday that he was a curious choice to speak at a technology conference considering he has spent 30 years as a sports executive with the Blackhawks and Chicago Cubs.

But the Blackhawks are a hot business property right now. The team has won two National Hockey League championships — Stanley Cups for you puckheads — in the past four years. They’ve also sold out the United Center, the largest hockey arena in the NHL, 236 straight times.

When McDonough was hired away from the Chicago Cubs in 2007 the Blackhawks averaged fewer than 13,000 fans a night. Now the team averages more than 21,000. In March, Sports Illustrated put the Blackhawks on its cover with the headline “The Franchise that brought hockey back.”

McDonough spoke Tuesday at the Clocktower Resort as the keynote of “TECHX,” a technology expo hosted by Entre Computer Solutions.

“What we are trying to do is have consistent excellence, and that comes down to the importance of drafting (players),” McDonough said. “It’s very similar to hiring. The most important executive skill in my opinion is hiring.

“We take our time on the quality of people we hire and they need to fit the way we do our business,” McDonough added.

Although the room was filled with infrastructure technology experts, the crowd mostly asked sports related questions. McDonough, when he could, tried to tie it back to business principals. A key, he said, is maintaining a slightly uncomfortable atmosphere.

“Our general manager, Stan Bowman, asked me once why do I like to shake things up when things are going well,” McDonough said. “That’s when you should shake things up. That’s how you keep getting better.”

When McDonough came to the Blackhawks in 2007, the team had been badly mismanaged for years by Bill Wirtz. Wirtz refused for many seasons to televise games, depressing his fanbase, and earned the nickname “Dollar” Bill for frugality and his tough negotiations with players.

Bill Wirtz died in September 2007 and his son, Rocky Wirtz, brought McDonough on board.

“I told everyone that we were going to work at a faster pace and with higher expectations,” McDonough said. “You could see right away some people just checked out. They didn’t want to be a part of it. We had to bring in people who did want to be a part of it.”

Mike Broski, president of Entre Computer Solutions, had heard McDonough speak before and felt he could impart lessons relevant to all business owners.

“This wasn’t just for tech guys, this was for presidents of companies and managers of people,” Broski said. “Whether you are building a company or a department, it starts with finding the right people.”